This invention relates generally to refrigeration devices, and more particularly, to a damper apparatus and methods for assembling a refrigeration device to control temperature therein.
Conventional temperature control devices used in refrigeration devices currently commercially available typically are provided with a damper thermostat for controlling the flow of cooled air. The damper thermostat is provided in a duct through which the cooled air from the refrigerator is guided into the refrigerating chamber. The damper thermostat determines the expansion or compression of bellows that occur due to the change in volume of a gas sealed in a thermosensitive tube, which depends on the temperature of the air in the refrigerating chamber. The sensed change in the bellows is transferred, by means of, for example, an operating rod, to the blade of a damper which opens or closes the duct to control the flow of cooled air therethrough.
In such a damper having a gas-actuated thermostat as described above, a heater for preventing an erroneous operation is usually provided for the parts of the thermostat assembly other than the thermosensitive element to keep the thermostat element warmer than the other parts of the thermostat assembly. Consequently, even though the capacity of the heater is as small as about 1-2 W, the accumulated consumption of electric power over a month or a year may be considerable. Moreover, the customary provision of the thermostat assembly close to or in the refrigerating chamber causes the heater to be a heat generating means associated with the refrigerating chamber.